Freshwater & Wetlands
"No stable climate without stable water."
Wetlands are 3% of the land but hold 30% of soil carbon. Rivers, aquifers and peatlands feed cities and cool regions. Draining them releases centuries of stored carbon and pushes half the world into water stress.
35%
of wetlands lost since 1970
Ramsar Convention
4B
people face water scarcity ≥1 month/yr
UN Water
30%
of soil carbon stored in peatlands
UNEP
Milestones we're chasing
Zero net wetland loss
Every draining project offset by equal restoration.
Universal safe water
SDG 6 — safely managed drinking water for all.
Rewet 50M ha of peatlands
Turn Europe's & SEA's biggest emitters back into sinks.
Levers that move the needle
Take an action →Designate Ramsar sites
Legal wetland protection has proven durable across 172 countries.
Rewet drained peatlands
Every hectare rewetted avoids ~20 tonnes CO₂e per year.
Nature-based water security
Sponge cities, floodplains and beaver dams outperform concrete.
Reform water pricing & subsidies
Agriculture uses 70% of freshwater — most of it under-priced.
Signals of progress
- ↗Indonesia rewetted 3.7M ha of peat
- ↗River restoration doubling in Europe
Warning lights
- ↘Colorado & Ganges basins in structural deficit
- ↘Arctic peatlands starting to burn
Live actions in this area
Time-bound campaigns you can join, sign, fund or lead right now.
No live actions in this area yet.
Organizations working here
NGOs, startups, cities, research labs and funders driving this area forward.
No organizations listed for this scope yet — be the first.
Your contribution
Small and big actions compound into short- and long-term impact. Find your seat — as an individual, a community, or an industry player.
What one person, household or citizen can do this week.
Cut lawn watering, capture rainwater
Households · 1 weekend
Neighborhoods, restaurants, schools and cities acting together.
- More community actions coming soon.
Companies, investors, funders and governments moving markets and policy.
Publish a water disclosure
Companies · 1 quarter
Fund a peatland rewetting pilot
Funders · 1 grant cycle
Resources & tools
Data
- Ramsar wetland database
Map
- Aqueduct water risk atlas
Report
- Peatlands assessment (UNEP)
Get involved in Freshwater & Wetlands
Take a time-bound action, register your organization or start a collaboration in this area.